Knitting machine



Sept. 9, 1930.

F. PILKINGTON KNITTING MACHINE Filed April 8, 1929 Patented Sept. 9,1930 PATENT OFFICE FRANK PILKINGTON, OF- PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIAKNITTING MACHINE Application filed April 8,

My invention relates to knitting machin cry, and more particularly tofull-fashioned knitting machinery for hosiery and the like.

In knitting machinery of the above iden- I6 tified type comprising aplurality of sinkers adapted to successively advance behind atransversely moving yarn carrier, it has previously been the practice touse a yarn guide of material such as steel or-thc like, gener- 10 allycomprising a tubularmembermounted at, and protruding beyond, the lowerend of the yarn carrier through -which the yarn or thread is led. Innormal operation of the knitting machine, the sinkers, whose top edgesare slightly above the level represented by the lower end of the guidetube, are caused to'recede within a sinker bed prior to return movementof the yarn carrier. However, in

actual practice, due to sticking of the sinkers within the sinker bed,or for other mechanical reasons, it sometimes happens that a sinkerfails to return to its withdrawn position, with the result that the yarncarrier in its reciprocatory motion brings the lower .end of the guidetube into contact with the upper edge of the abnormally advanced sinkerto bend or fracture the same and consequently temporarily disable theknitting machine.

Due to the fact that the sinkers are generally of comparatively thinsheet-like material, as thin sheet-steel, the guide tube, being of steelor other shock-resistant material, readily deforms or fractures one ormore 5 sinkers so engaged, thereby necessitating shut-down of themachine in order that the damaged sinker or sinkers may be removed andreplaced. Itwill be apparent that reduction of the time lostto'production due to an accident of the above character is highlydesirable and will result in improved efliciency of the machine. Y

. In accordance with my invention, the guide 5 member carried by theyarn carrier com- 1929.' Serial No. 353,361.

the same shock which is sufficient to fracture the guide member.

For a further understanding of my invention, reference is had to theaccompanying drawing, in which: Y

Fig. 1 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of a knittingmachine.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective View of the parts shown in Fig. 1 inanother position.

Fig. 3 is a front view of a yarn carrier and guide tube. I

Fig. 4 is a side view of the same.

Fig. 5 illustrates the guide tube.

Fig. 6 illustrates an element of a knitting machine.

Referring to Fig. 1, there is illustrated an enlarged View of a part ofa knitting ma chine, specifically a full-fashioned hosiery knittingmachine, comprisin a sinker bed D within which alternately dlsposedsinkers A and dividers B are adapted to reciprocate transversely of bedD by means (not shown). At the front face of the sinker bed D,apluralityof needles C are individually disposed between extending nosesa and b respectively of corresponding sinkers and dividers. Below theextending noses a, b, is disposed a row of knock-over bits K.

A yarn carrier H, adapted to-movelongitudinally of the sinker bed andtransversely with respect to the sinkers and the dividers, comprises aflat strip (Figs. 3 and 4) of metal or any suitable material, preferablycurved in contour at its lower end and comprising a gradually deepeningslot or groove h, at the lower and deeper end of which isv drilled anaperture or recess within which the hollow yarn guide member G isdisposed. As may be readily noted from Fig. 1, the yarn or thread Tpasses over the outer front surface of the guide carrier into thegradually deepening groove 72. and through passage 9 within guide tubeG, which lays the thread in front of needle C upon the extended noses a,b, of the sinkers and-dividers.

In the present instance, I provide a guide member of hard, comparatlvelybrittle or frangible material such as glass, porcelainor the like,preferably in the shape of a hollow tube inserted within the lower endof the yarn carrier and protruding a short distance therefrom. The tube,Fig. 5, may be similar in dimensions and proportions to the well knownsteel or metal guide tubes, the internal diameter of course dependingupon the size of the yarn or thread used. For example, and withoutlimiting the scope of my invention, the internal diameter of the guidetube in the specific machine illustrated may range between .064 and .071inches, the external diameter depending upon the necessary mechanicalstrength required. Since the shock transmitted to the guide tube mayvary for different types of machines, depending upon the size of thesinkers, it shall be understood that the guide tube may protrude varyingdistances beyond the end of the carrier in order to vary the mechanicalleverage thereon.

In operation, as the yarn carrier H advances toward the left, thesinkers A (Fig. 6) successively advance one after the other to followthe carrier as illustrated in Fig. 2. During advance of the sinkers Athe thread T is engaged by upwardly extending shoulders s forming a partof the sinkers, to form loops around individual pairs of needles. Sincethe knitting operation per se comprises no part of my invention, andsince the sinkers, etc. cooperate in a manner well-known in the art,further description of the knitting operation is believed to beunnecessary other than to mention that when the carrier H has reachedthe end of its travel, the sinkers A all being in their advancedpositions, dividers B advance simultaneously between the sinkers to formloops around each needle, and the needles are thereupon depressed todraw the newly formed loops with them and to cooperate with the sinkerbed D and knockover bits K to complete the row.

Prior to return of the yarn carrier H towards the right. the sinkers Aare normally withdrawn within the sinker bed to the positionsillustrated in Fig. 1. However, if for some reason. an individualsinker, due to gumming, binding or for other reasons, should fail to bewithdrawn within the sinker bed, the lower end of the guide tube G wouldcontact with the upper. edge an of the sinker to cause fracture of thefrangible tube guide, without damaging or injuring the sinker soengaged. Accordingly, when such an accident happens it is merelynecessary to dismount and replace the yarn carrier with a spare assemblypart on hand for such an emergency, after which the machine may bestarted up again when the offending sinker has been loosened and is freeto operate normally.

For the purposes of easy replacement of the guide tube within thecarrier, the tube may be secured Within the bore or recess formed in thelower end of the carrier by shellac or the like, so that it may bereadily freed and removed uponheating, or by application of a solvent.The advantages of a brittle frangible material for the guide memberwhere damage to the comparatively expensivesinkers is to be avoided, areat once apparent, as compared with a shock resistlike, but in additionthe low shock resistance.

of the tube is a practical insurance against damage to the sinkermembers due to abnormal operation thereof.

It shall be understood that my invention is not limited to the specifictype of knitting machine herein illustrated, but is applicable to 'anytextile machine wherein a yarn carrier or the like is caused to movetransversely of operating members which normally move out of the path ofcontact with the carrier, and which would be damaged by abnormal contacttherewith.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a knitting machine comprising a sinker bed, aplurality of sinkers movable with respect to said bed and a yarn carriercoacting with said sinkers, of a yarn guide mounted on said carriercomprising a member of comparatively frangible material which fracturesin event of engagement of a sinker therewith.

2. The combination with a knitting machine comprising a sinker bed, aplurality of sinkers movable with respect to said bed and a yarn carriercoacting with said sinkers, of a yarn guide mounted on said carriercomprising a tubular member of glass or the like which fractures inevent of engagement of a sinker therewith.

3. The combination with a knitting machine comprising a sinker bed, aplurality of sinkers movable to advanced positions beyond said bed, anda yarn carrier coacting with said sinkers normally out of contacttherewith, of a yarn guide mounted on said carrier comprising a tubularmember of comparatively frangible material such that abnormal contactbetween said guide and a sinker results in fracture only of said guide.

4. The combination with a full-fashioned knitting machine comprising asinker bed, a plurality of sinkers movable to advanced positions beyondsaid bed,,and a yarn carrier adapted to advance ahead of said sinkers,of a yarn guide mounted at the lower end of Ill said carrier and;protruding therefrom, said guide comprising a hard brittle member ofcomparatively fragile material whereby abnormal contact between one ofsaid sinkers and said guide tube results in fracture of said tubeinstead of deformation 0r fracture of said sinker.

FRANK PILKINGTON.

